The Spartan II Program
by alimination602
Summary: What happens after the CovenantUNSC war.
1. Chapter 1 The Spartan II Program

Chapter 1- Spartan II Program

The Covenant-Human war had ended. The false Covenant Prophet of Truth had been slain, the Ark lay in ruins and the Humans were at peace with the remnants of the Covenant. Though peace had been declared tensions were still high amongst the human remnants, aside from the scars of battle the UNSC had another problem left to resolve. The Spartans.

With the war behind them the UNSC had little use for their advanced super soldiers. With political pressure from UNSC leaders and even greater pressure from the ethical extremists in the public Dr Catherine Hasley was fighting an up hill battle to protect her beloved Spartans.

The elderly members of the UNSC war council sat at the raised desk before the military court. Each council member wore their military dress uniforms, their chests overflowing with medals of Honour, bravery and courage. They glared down at the two humans standing before them. On the right stood Dr. Catherine Hasley, head researcher in charge of the Spartan II project. Though she held no official military rank, and was officially dubbed a civilian, she had become one of the UNSC's most treasured personal.

On the left stood Admiral Ackerson, a dedicated commander and a military leader respected and feared throughout the ranks. "The Spartan II project is immoral, unlawful and currently unnecessary" Ackerson berated the council.

"Without the Spartans we would have been massacred by the Covenant. We owe them the lives of every citizen in the UNSC" Dr. Hasley pleaded to the council. The council stared down at them.

"Surely the council cannot approve of the abduction and genetic manipulation of children as young as seven, simply to utilize them as weapons of war" Ackerson drew a mortal blow to Hasleys case.

"Council members please-" Catherine was quickly cut off as the lead member of the council raised his fragile but influential hand.

"Dr. Catherine Hasley. In light of the evidence presented to us. The decision of this council is unanimous. As of this moment 9:34pm, July 15th 2563, the Spartan II program is officially terminated". With that final word a stab of pain and shock ran through Hasleys spine. "All research and notes concerning the project will be confiscated and all equipment impounded". Hasley fell back into her seat, defeated. All the research, all the work, and all the lives she had to damage to complete the project and save humanity. It was all in vain.

"And your honours. What of the Spartans themselves?" Ackerson broke the silence, obviously finding it hard to fight back the satisfaction he felt at his long awaited victory over her rivals at Section 3.

The lead councillor looked down at the admiral. "Evolution has its dead ends. I'm afraid that was the way for the Spartans in Greece. And it shall be the same for the predecessors"

With that Hasley knew John, her last surviving Spartan II, was in danger. She couldn't let her 'child' die. John was special, he was lucky. But even his luck may not save him now. She rose from her seat and ran for the door at the back of the courtroom, she had to warn John. As the door was within her grasp two Orbital Drop Shock Troopers stepped in front of her, battle rifles raised. She ground to a halt; she was unarmed and knew little about hand to hand combat. The Head councillor's frail but powerful voice rang in her ears. "The Spartans must not be informed of this doctor. You shall remain here".

The councillors stood up stepped down from their perch, Ackerson tagging behind them like a stray pup. Ackerson trotted towards the head councillor. "Um sir. What is the actual plan for terminating the Spartans?"

The councillor turned to the Admiral. "The Spartans can hear and see things you and I can't. A direct attack would be futile. We will have to resort to, other means"

"Cortana- location" the Chief called into his helmet.

"Three LAGG turrets are positioned twenty meters north of your position" Cortana replied, her voice resonating in his head.

"Understood" The Chief took hold of his assault rifle tightly, storming out from behind cover. He strafed from side to side, dodging the incoming bullets. He fired his weapon towards the gunner of the first turret. Most of the bullets bounced harmlessly off of the weapons shield, some however flew through the openings to impact the gunner in his exposed face. The first gunner recoiled back from the fire as he fell from his perch, neutralising the weapon.

The remaining two gunners took advantage of the Chiefs momentary lapse in concentration to bring their fire to bear into the centre of the Chiefs torso. His shields flared as it barely repelled the bullets. He ducked behind a crate, removing a grenade from his belt he armed it and threw it over his head. Three seconds later came a satisfying bang and the sound of creaking metal. The Chief rose from his position, leaping over the crippled machine guns and ran towards his objective, the bell.

He approached the stone steps that lead to the bell, he noticed the scars and patches of rust that clung to its ancient frame. Three feet. He stretched his hand out, clasped hold of the rope and gave it a mighty pull. The bell clanged throughout the area as the Chief felt pride run through him. "So how'd I do?"

"2.03 minutes. A new record Chief" Cortana exclaimed in a peppy and enthusiastic voice.

The Chief clasped his weapon against his back; he walked back down the steps, victorious. Like a bolt of lighting something impacted the step at his feet, the concussive force throwing him off of his balance.

"That was a sniper bulle-" His words were silenced as he fell backwards off the steps, plummeting towards the ground. His last thoughts were of victory, so quickly snatched away from him.


	2. Chapter 2 Fight for Survival

Chapter 2- Fight for Survival

Darkness. Infinite darkness shrouded the Master Chiefs vision as he lay collapsed on the ground before the steps to the temple. Alarms screamed in his head as his suits systems fought to keep his shields active. He rose to his feet, placing his right hand to the side of his helmet. "Cortana. What the hell just happened, I didn't request any snipers?"

"_Analyzing_" The Chief felt the same absence he always felt as Cortana left his mind to search the UNSC databases for an answer. "_Chief. I found something_"

A file ran across the Chiefs H.U.D. He read through the report. "Cortana, please tell me this is the tech guys playing a joke"

Cortana's hologram lowered her head with worry. "_I am afraid it is authentic. It bears the seal of the UNSC War council, a signature not easily forged_" The file contained the termination order of the Spartan II Program.

Cortana closed the file. The Chief stood silent, dumb-struck. "So what now Cortana?"

"_We need to get out of here- the Council has committed untold resources to completely removing the remains of the Spartan II Program. I have searched the UNSC records the frigate Black Shadow is currently docked in hanger twenty four. If we move now we should be able to reach it before the council initiates a lockdown of the facility_".

"Understood" The Chief locked his MA5B assault rifle against his back. He removed his pistol from his leg holster, dropping the clip as he slapped in a fresh magazine into the chamber and re-holstered the weapon. He looked towards the bulkhead doors which would lead him away from the site of the UNSC's betrayal of their war time heroes, and post war political liabilities.

John scanned past the armoury building. He threw himself against the wall, a Scorpion tank rolled along the track just past the building, oblivious of his presence. "_Wait stop!_" Cortana screeched in his head.

"The ship isn't goanna wait-" The Master Chief growled

"It's Dr. Hasley; she is being detained in the War Council's main chambers. It's the large building in the centre of the compound". The Chief found the structure that was to be his target, contemplating his plan of attack. "This isn't goanna be easy" said Cortana.

"What do you mean? I'll find a way in" John assured her. "One. Two. Three…" John counted in his head. Once he hit four he launched from his position across the dirt track and slammed against the wall of the adjacent building within the blink of an eye.

He noticed a large stone building- large solid steel doors leading into the interior. On either side of the door stood a UNSC marine, each armed with a standard MA5B assault rifle. Alone they posed little threat- but they only needed a second to scream for help. An assault on the main door would be suicide, even for a Spartan. "Cortana I need an alternative entrance". Cortana appeared before his visor, her slender fingers against her forehead. Eyes closed. "_There is a small air duct along the west side of the building. I'll mark it with a nav point_"

Cortana disappeared from his view; she was replaced by a pulsing orange arrow that indicated the target. The Chief sprinted towards the building; he slammed himself against the wall. He tapped the side of his helmet, activating his exterior listening device; greatly enhancing his already heavily augmented hearing. "_So I hear they've can…. Spartan….gram_" He eavesdropped on the conversation between the guards. One of them suddenly stopped, raising his finger to the side of his helmet. "Cortana, I need to hear what their saying. Can you intercept them?"

"Searching….. Unknown. They are utilizing a secure wavelength only used for emergency communications- I cannot access it remotely" She pondered the situation for a moment. "But I have an idea." The radio in the Chief's helmet hummed to life as static rolled into his head. The static fizzled as Cortana searched for the frequency. "_New orders from commend_" The static slowly began to clear. "_Dr. Hasley is to be terminated immediately. Command out_" The marine turned to his partner. "_Command's given the 'Dead Order'. We best get on with it_"

"_Better than standing around on sentry duty all day I guess. At least we get to use these things we've trained with for over nine months but never actually used_" His partner spoke. They relinquished their posts, stepping through the now opening steel doors.

"We have to hurry" The Chiefs voice suddenly changed from exhausted from fatigue, to a burning flame of hate. Cortana had heard this tone before, he only spoke like this when he was personally determined. He turned from John, the Master Chief, to the ultimate war machine who would slaughter his foes, UNSC or Covenant indiscriminately.

The Chief crouched before the flimsy grating covering the vent. He gripped the thin metal bars were easily crushed in his gauntleted hands. He threw the broken metal into the nearby dirt as he crawled into the tight confines of the vent. As he tried to pass his shoulders through the opening his shield fizzled and crackled against the wall of the vent. "I _have to lower your shield to allow you to squeeze through the vent_" The Chief felt a sudden weight lifted off his body as the shield system weakened, if he should encounter problems he would be in trouble. He lowered to his hands and knees and pushed his way through the tight confines of the air duct.

Twenty minutes past before he found another grate. He punched the grating. It opened up into a well lavished reception area. He crouched behind the couch for cover as he contemplated his plan. The main doors opened. The marines from the main door passed into the room, approaching the main desk. "We're here to deal with the traitor" The Master Chief peered over the top of the couch as he watched the marines with absolutely no feeling, contemplating the most effective method with which to dispatch them.

"About time. Give her a shot to the head for me" The man behind the reception desk held down a button on his console, the door to the right of the desk silently opened. The marines passed through the door, it closed shut behind them. The receptionist returned to his work, typing out reports on the computer. A rattle behind him roused him from his work; he turned towards the source of the noise. He was greeted by the shiny gold of the Master Chiefs visor. The Chief slammed his fist into the man's nose, the sound of cracking bones ringing hollow throughout the room, his limp corpse collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his wound.

The Chief pulled his body behind the desk. He pressed the same green button he had seen the receptionist use, sure enough the doors parted. Past the doors lay the UNSC military courtroom, and Dr. Halsey.

The Chief crouched behind the row of seats at the back of the courthouse, watching, and waiting. At the far end of the courtroom stood a squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and the two marines from the entrance. The squad was dispersed around the courtroom two of them leaning against the sidewall while others watched the two marines enter, ready to serve the UNSC by disposing of a traitor. The doctor stood sternly in defiance, unmoved by the presence of a loaded gun aimed at her head. The marine jammed the barrel of his pistol into Dr. Hasley's forehead, causing a ring of white where her skin had become starved of oxygen. "Any last words?"

The Chief rose from his hiding place, firing two bursts from his assault rifle. The two marines collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from the bullet wounds pocketing their backs.

"Drop!" The Chief screamed. Halsey dropped to her knees, covering her head with her hands.

The ODST's were slow to mobilize, surprised by the sudden sound and frantically attempting to find the lone gunner from amongst the dark corners of the large room.

The Chief bolted from his position firing over the line of seats in front of him. He dropped behind the final column of seats, listening to the gunfire as it blazed over his head uselessly, tearing pieces of brick off the wall behind him. The chief released the clip, empty. He dropped the assault rifle to the ground and drew his combat knife from his belt. He rose from his cover running down the isle between the seats. John threw his combat knife at the ODST, the sharp blade digging into the soft lip of rubber covering the gap over his exposed neck. He lunged towards the final soldier, he clasped his gauntleted hand around the mans neck, collapsing his windpipe in on itself. The soldier's corpse collapsed to the floor, dragging John down with it.

John felt the same satisfaction at this mans death as he had done when he had fought the Covenant mere months ago and the Insurrectionists before that. Even though he was also a soldier of the UNSC at that moment he was the enemy. Behind him John heard the unmistakable click of a hand gun. He stared into the dead ODST's visor, finding the face of the third soldier looming over him, a pistol aimed at the back of his head. The Chief froze; he was going to have to rely on his augmented strengths. He swung his fist around with lightning speed, smashing into the soldier's visor, cracking the reflective metal into dozens of tiny fragments. The broken helmet fell to the ground along with the rest of the soldier, slamming into the stone floor with a loud bang.

The Chief rose to his feet, he was holding his breath, the adrenaline of battle keeping him from noticing it. He let out a slow, long breath. He lowered down to help Dr. Hasley to her feet. That had been an amateur mistake; if he had missed one he could have just as easily missed a dozen. Dr Hasley brushed the creases out of her skirt, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, as if nothing had happened. "Nice to see you again John. It has been a while"

"So it has ma'am" Only Dr Hasley ever called him by his birth name anymore, since no one else but her knew it.

"I assume you have devised a plan for our escape?" Catherine held great pride in her Spartans.

"Yes ma'am. There is a UNSC frigate docked at this base. I plan to use it to leave UNSC controlled space"

"Very well Spartan"

The Chief drew his sidearm, handing it to Dr. Hasley. "I assume you know how to use this?" Catherine simply smiled back at him and accepted the weapon.

Colonel Ackerson paced along the line of elite ODST's before him. He stared at the large scale computer screen on the wall before him, the monitor showed the Spartan Master Chief and Dr. Hasley crouched behind a row of crates, in a fire fight with a squad of marines. Ackerson watched in anger as the marines slowly fell one by one, blood spilling from their fresh bullet wounds. The Spartan looked up towards the camera, and fired. The screen buzzed with static, the camera crippled.

James Ackerson stopped in the centre of the formation. "I'm sure you all know why you are here" The soldiers all stood frozen, statues to honour the legacy of the proud regiment. "The Spartan project has been officially dismantled, and the UNSC War Council has decreed that all notes on the project be confiscated and all subjects terminated. Spartan-117 is the last of his kind. He has previously survived the Insurrectionists, the Human-Covenant War and was the first to encounter and decimate those parasitic creatures in the time it took you lot to tie your boots. So now we turn to you" He raised his arms in dramatic pause. "You are the most elite soldiers the UNSC has. Each and every one of you have single handily taken on entire Covenant squads and emerged victorious. But what I ask of you know will demand even more of you than any other member of the UNSC must face. I ask you to end an endangered species. I ask you to kill Spartan-117"

There was a deft silence. Everyone knew Ackerson had been building up to that- but it still hit everyone pretty hard. "I know some of you may have mixed feelings about this. Some of you may have heard of his exploits, some of you may have even fought alongside him and his kind. But remember your pledge to the UNSC. Remember your pledge to serve your planet, serve your government. And serve your race" He snapped a salute, and as one they returned it. Ackerson lowered his hand. "Dismissed" The ODST's filed out in formation, their task clear. Eliminate Dr. Halsey and Spartan-117 before they depart Reach.

The large bulkhead doors creaked apart; the Chief strode into hanger 24 with Dr. Halsey closely in tow. He searched the hanger for potential threats, only seeing the occasional unarmed technician. The hanger was otherwise empty. "Cortana. The hanger is empty"

"_That's impossible_" Her voice faded in his mind before returning again. "I've found it. It was a phantom file. Ackerson laid a fake file and inserted it among the other traffic to lead us into a tra-" Her voice was quickly cut off by a loud screech.

"On the catwalks!" Screamed Dr. Halsey, pointing to the maintenance walkways hanging overhead. The walkways were lined with UNSC special forces soldiers, ODST's. A squad of ODST's scaled down from the walkway on rappelling lines. They fired their assault rifles on their descent, raining bullets down on the Chief's position. The Chief hunkered down behind a stack of crates, the occasional bullet pinging off his shield. Hasley hunkered behind the crates next to him, not having a suit of power armour she was being far more cautious.

"_Cortana. We need another way out_" His mind was silent; he still felt the same warmth that Cortana's presence gave him, but not her reassuring voice. "I have a solution. There is a Pelican dropship docked in the next hanger. It doesn't have a slipspace drive but it will allow you off the planet" John sighed inside his helmet, at least it was better than nothing.

"Doctor, move out we need to get to the hanger"

"Excuse me Spartan, but don't I out rank you?"

"No ma'am. Since the project was cancelled you are now demoted to a civilian again. So I assume command" He smiled behind his golden visor.

"Very well Spartan, what are your orders?" A taint of sarcasm stained her voice. "I'm going to lay down a suppressing fire and you run to the door" She gave him a nod of agreement.

"One...Two…Three…GO!" He yelled. The Chief rose from cover, firing his assault rifle at the ODST's on the catwalk. The soldiers on the rappelling lines hit the ground, scrambling for what meagre cover they could find. He alternated between firing at the squad on the ground and those on the overhanging catwalk.

Before the Doctor could reach halfway to the door she collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from a gun shot wound in her torso. A soldier stood on the catwalk; smoke pluming from the barrel of his gun. The Chief was dumb struck. His blood boiled as he fired into the cable supporting the catwalk to the roof of the hanger.

The cable snapped, the sheet of metal fell to the hanger floor, the soldiers falling soon after. The chief rose from his cover, storming towards the wounded soldiers. Even wounded and shocked they continued to fire. Bullets ricocheted off his armor as he continued to advance, unhindered by the never ending stream of fire. The Chief reached his target; he slammed the butt of his rifle in the helmet of the first soldier, their visor shattering from the impact. The second succumbed to the power of the Chief's gauntleted fist to his stomach, the sound of cracking ribs bouncing off the high walls. The final soldier, the one that had taken such joy in shooting John's supposed 'mother', was lifted from the ground by his armoured neck. The Chief stared into his silver screened visor. He slammed the soldier down into the hanger floor, savouring the sound as the mans neck split.

John finally breathed the sweet scent of victory as he ran to Dr. Hasley's side. He clutched her, applying pressure to the wound. He saw the red stain of her blood on her shoulder blade, spilling her fiery red blood onto the frozen concrete floor. He reached to his belt and removed his med kit. He removed the biofoam as he sealed the wound and wrapped it in bandages, it helped to stop the bleeding but she would still require medical attention.

"Can you walk?" She gave him a weak smile as she rose on her shaky feet. She got to her feet before crashing back down into the Chiefs arms. She had already lost too much blood, she would have to be carried the rest of the way. He cradled her in his metallic arms, hefting her in his arms as if she weighed nothing. He turned and ran towards the door; he had to get off Reach. It wasn't just his life now; it was also about saving Catherine Hasley.

John finally parted the steel double doors into the hanger. There sat a Pelican dropship, fresh off the repair line. The hanger was devoid of any life save John and Dr. Hasley. John charged up the open cargo ramp of the transport into the cockpit, laying Hasley down in the co-pilots seat. John sat down in the pilot's seat, preparing the engine ready for take-off.

The dual engines roared to life with a deafening cry. John pulled back on the throttle, the ship rose off of the deck. He brought the ship around, it shot out into the open sky, rising into the dark void of space. The dark sky was suddenly filled by random specks of light in the distance, each quickly growing to be a UNSC space craft, bearing on an intercept course with John's Pelican. The small lights in the distance each quickly became a deadly craft as he watched them charge their weapons, ready to fire. A dropship stood no chance against an armada of ships. This was quickly looking to be the end of the Spartan project. And of him.

Suddenly a group of white dots appeared on the edge of the system. The white dots soon grew into the bulbous heads of whale like craft. Covenant Cruisers. As the Covenant ships moved closer towards him the main view screen began to crackle with static. The static cleared and the broken face of the Arbiter came clear into view. "Noble Spartan warrior. We have received word of your fate… and we wish to offer our assistance" John froze in surprise. "You opened my eyes and saved me and my brothers from eternal damnation. Among my race it is customary to assist those who aided us when we were in peril. Board my flagship, _The Flames of Light_, we will ensure your safety"

"I have a wounded friend. She requires immediate medical attention" The Chief fought to keep his tone neutral.

"We can heal your comrade when you come aboard" John lowered his head, his mind awash with conflicting thoughts. Although the Elites had fought to save the humans during the war he couldn't shake the memories of when the Elites had not long ago been on the receiving end of his assault rifle. But now was not the time to pass judgment on an ally.

"Very well" John tapped the controls, steering the dropship towards the largest Covenant Ship in the centre of the formation.

Admiral Stanforth stood at the bridge of the _Leviathan_, the new flagship of the UNSC fleet. The navigation officer turned in his chair to face the Admiral. "Sir. The renegade dropship is on an intercept course for the Covenant command vessel. They appear to be boarding, sir"

Stanforth lowered his head into his palms; if he fired at the dropship he could hit the Covenant and start a whole new war. But if the Chief had gone rouge and he started slaughtering the Covenant soldiers the new alliance would be severely tarnished.

He placed his hand on his data computer opening fleet wide COM channel "All ships, this is Admiral Stanforth. Hold fire. I repeat all ships hold fire; we cannot risk hitting the Covenant Vessels. All craft hold positions. I say again hold position, do not engage the renegade dropship" He closed the channel "Let's see what the last Spartan has planned" Stanforth did not want to have to do this; he saw what happened at Cote Azur. How the Spartans had single handily halted the Covenant ground assault. But the Council had decreed it; if he backed down they would simply find someone else who was willing to do the unpleasant task.

The Chief stepped down the Pelican's loading ramp onto the slippery purple surface of the Covenant hanger bay. The Arbiter stood before him, still clad in the armor of the Prophet's had entrusted to him- albeit repaired and upgraded. Even though he had officially been appointed Grand Prophet of the entire Covenant he felt a certain tie to the armour, by wearing the mark of the prophets betrayal he knew it would never be forgotten. "Welcome Spartan. I only wish we were meet again under better circumstances"

The Chief simply stared at him behind his visor; someone could have cut the tension between them with a plasma sword. "My friend is in the cockpit. She's hurt" The Arbiter raised his hand. Two elites ran into the pelican, they returned soon after carrying Dr. Halsey between them. "Come. I will show you to the bridge" The Chief had taken the final step down the road of betrayal. He was as much a traitor to the UNSC as Colonel Wallace, the rebel leader he had captured on his first mission as a Spartan. Now he had no home, no flag. No Hope.


	3. Chapter 3 Human Betrayal

Chapter 3- Human Betrayal

The Chief followed the Arbiter silently through the bowels of the alien craft. The Chief felt uncomfortable in these alien environments, every time a Covenant patrol passed him it took all his strength not to remove his assault rifle and start shooting with deadly precision. Even though the Arbiter had ensured John that all of his crew had been informed of his arrival, the Chief still kept his sidearm in hand.

They finally emerged on the bridge; a bright purple light bathed the Chief's armor as he stepped through the bulkhead doors. The Arbiter stepped ahead of him as he took his position in the centre of the raised platform. "Navigation. Open a fleet wide channel".

The grunt at the nav console tapped the controls. "Fleet wide online, Arbiter"

The Arbiter spoke into the screen, his booming voice ringing though the bridge. "Attention all ships, engage slipspace drives and make best speed to High Charity"

Another voice crackled over the COM link. "Arbiter, this is Ship Master Kirov of the cruiser _Wings of Fire_. The human fleet is approaching our formation. What are your orders?"

"Have they readied their weapons?"

"No Arbiter. But they are approaching us at great speed. I suggest we make ready to engage them"

The Arbiter stared at the pristine deck. "Weapons. Charge all aft plasma turrets and make ready to fire our plasma torpedos on my command. Navigation, send out a burst transmission to all sh-".

"They won't attack" The Chief cut in, standing next to the Arbiter, watching the tactical map. "They know that they cannot risk initiating another war" He turned to the Arbiter, his next words burning in his mind. "They won't fire" The Arbiter turned back to the tactical map, do he dare trust the human and call off his fleet.

"Disengage. All ships transfer all power to your slipspace drives and make best speed back to base. I repeat, all ships disengage from battle and make haste for High Charity". The Chief watched as dozens of white dots appeared on the screen enveloping the Covenant fleet in a wash of burning white light, finally disappearing from existence. The same white light enveloped the cameras view on the brow of the ship, until. Nothing.

"Admiral, the Covenant fleet is entering slipspace. They are retreating" Retreating. Stanforth pondered the word. During the war the Covenant never retreated from battle, they fought to the last warrior standing. "What should we do sir?" The bridge officer's turned to the admiral for reassurance.

He tapped the COM switch. "All ships disengage pursuit. I repeat, fall back to Reach" Stanforth watched through the main view screen as the fleet's engines dimmed and died as they came to a stop, floating in the abyss of space.

They would have to end the pursuit of the renegade Spartan for now until the war council was consulted on their next course of action.

The Chief strode through the purple corridors of the alien vessel, finally emerging in the Medical Bay. The walls were coated in alien computers and machinery, each monitoring the different vitals of each of the ships inhabitants. The Chief strode past the dozens of med beds that were scattered evenly along the walls. He stopped at the one inhabited bed at the far end of the med bay.

He stood over the bloodied figure of his supposed mother, Dr. Catherine Halsey. Her eyelids parted as she stared up into the golden visor of her last surviving Spartan 'child'. Most would run in fear at the sight of an armoured creature looming over them, but to Dr. Halsey it was the most reassuring sight she could have ever hoped to see. "Hello John" John. That name was his only tie to his previous life. Dr. Halsey was the only remaining person who addressed him by that name.

"Hello ma'am. The Covenant fleet has entered slipspace and is heading for High Charity"

"Humph, High Charity. The centre of the Covenant religious war machine. That should be an interesting experience for both of us" The Chief stared past her, lost in thought.

"Ma'am, I've been wondering ever since we left Reach. How did Ackerson win that case? I mean you won us the war. Without you all of us would be dead"

Hasley stared down at her wound. "All right, it's time to tell you the truth"

She reached into her lab coat and removed a datapad, holding it out to the Chief. He took the datapad, inserting it into his helmet. A report scrolled across his visor, depicting a list of chemicals and their effects on the human body. "That is the file Ackerson gave to the war council. It's the report Déjà deleted after the operation to transform you into the augmented super soldier you are now. It describes all the chemicals we administered to you, their affects and problems that may arise during the process"

"_Wait?_" Cortana fizzled into existence between Dr. Halsey and the Chief. "_Some of the chemicals listed here were banned by the UNSC hundreds of years ago?_"

"Yes. Many of the substances we used for the augmentation were illegal and potentially dangerous".

"_Humm_" Cortana pondered the report.

"Got something Cortana?" The Chief knew she was cooking something.

"_Maybe. Get some sleep, I have to check something out_" With that the Chief felt the bare cold he always felt when Cortana abandoned his mind. "_The crew quarters are down the hall Chief_" Cortana voice called out through the wall speakers.

"Not a chance…" The Chief laid down on the medical bed next to Dr. Hasley, not intent on leaving her side in this alien, and potentially dangerous, environment.

The Arbiter walked between the manned stations on the bridge. "Status"

"All systems normal. We will re-enter normal space in three hours and thirty one minutes" The navigation officer answered.

"Arbiter, I am detecting a strange signal emanating from the computer system. Releasing kill systems" A flashing red dot appeared on the main view screen, representing the foreign entity. Slowly the dot was surrounded by dozens of yellow triangles, all advancing towards the threat. The Arbiter watched as they all closed in around the target.

Suddenly the yellow arrows blipped off the screen, destroyed. "What is tha-?"

"You mind not dropping your kill systems down on me again" Cortana's feminine form crackled to life on the screen.

"The female" The Arbiter growled, remembering the damage she had inflicted on his men during their shared conflicts. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind but I'm just borrowing your slipspace communication satellite for ten minutes" The Arbiter snarled at the human females insolence. "Thanks, I knew you wouldn't mind" She blew him a kiss, one eye closed in a taunting manor. The screen snapped off, not giving the Arbiter time to reply.

Cortana hacked the slipspace transmitter, attempting to make contact with Reach. She worked hard to slip the transmission past the UNSC radio barrier they had erected to ensure pirates or Black Market Dealers could not make unauthorised access to transmissions to and from Reach. Cortana finally broke through the barrier, a figure before her crackling into existence. The figure appeared as a Greek woman dressed in a loose toga, holding a tablet in her right arm.

"Déjà, can you show me the file Dr. Halsey showed you during the Spartans augmentation?" Déjà tapped her fingers to her head as a variety of symbols scrolled across her tablet, eventually manifesting into readable letters Deja handed the tablet to Cortana as she scrolled down it. Her eyes snapped wide. "Oh this is perfect, thanks Deja" Deja disappeared into the binary code that composed her form.

The fleet of Covenant ships reappeared from slipspace, like a flock of fish swimming through the ocean the Covenant ships manoeuvred towards the space station High Charity. After the creation of the Covenant-Human alliance the Arbiter had lead an attack against the flood to wrest High Charity from the grip of the parasitic life form. _The Flames of Light_ manoeuvred towards High Charity, releasing a swarm of dropships to land on the station.

The Master Chief lowered down the gravity lift, his metal boots touched the sleek deck. Dr. Halsey, the Arbiter and his two elite escorts followed. Before him squads of engineers replaced walls and fiddled with circuitry in an attempt to restore High Charity to its former glory. "_Chief_" Cortana's voice called out inside of him as the warm feeling returned to the Chief's mind. "_Chief, read this_" She scrolled a report on his HUD. He scanned down the report.

"Yes? That's the report Ackerson submitted to the war council"

"_Yes and this is copy déjà sent me_" Another report scrolled across his HUD. As john reached half way down his eyes snapped open. "It's…"

"_Yeah. The one Ackerson submitted is a fake. He altered the file to include other illegal chemicals in the list that were never used in the experiment_"

"Ackerson" The Master Chief growled. All this pain had been caused by him, leaving only one option.

"Tell me again. What happened?" Ackerson berated the young private standing in front of his desk.

"Well sir. The rouge Spartan stole a UNSC dropship and flew off planet. When admiral Stanforth's fleet went to engaged the dropship at the edge of the system a Covenant fleet emerged from slipspace and departed with the Spartan"

Ackerson growled, he slammed his fists on the desk. "What am I paying you people for?" He pointed at the door. "Get out! And don't come back until you can put that Spartans head on my desk" The private saluted and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ackerson buried his head in his palms. The door creaked open again. "I told you before to get out" When no reply was uttered Ackerson raised his head, freezing. Before him stood the armoured image of the last Spartan. "Chief?" Without a word the master Chief removed his side arm, raising it at arms length.


	4. Chapter 4 Epilogue

Chapter 4- Epilogue

The Master Chief gripped his side arm, his armoured finger resting heavily on the trigger, ready to fire. Most enemies he had faced, Human or Covenant, cringed or showed some indication of fear when they came face to face with him. But Ackerson was a complete show of defiance, as if the Chief was as much of a threat to him as the young private he had just berated out the door.

Ackerson smiled devilishly "So you survived" The Chief said nothing. Ackerson rose from behind his desk, walking calmly around the side of his desk. The Chief trained his pistol on him the entire time. Ackerson reached into a box on his desk. John gripped his pistol tighter, expecting him to reveal a weapon or another concealed threat. Ackerson noticed the aggressive body language, raising his other hand. "It's just a smoke Chief" He reached into the box, removing a Sweet Williams Cigar, the premier choice of practically every officer in the UNSC navy.

He held one out for the Chief. "Cigar?" The Chief simply tightened his grip on the pistol, readily ensuring his point was made. "It's just common courtesy" He removed the wrapping encasing the end, tapping the tip as it self-ignited in a flurry of embers. He took a slow drag, taking his time to enjoy the flavour as though he didn't have a care in the world. Eventually he snapped back into reality, leering at the Spartan. "Something we humans abide by"

The emphasis on the word 'Humans' made the Chief's blood boil, as though Ackerson saw the Spartans to be as alien as the Covenant, he was just about ready to blow this bastard's brains out across that fancy oak desk he was sure Ackerson prided himself on being able to sit behind. "So what are you going to do, kill me?" He chuckled to himself. "You try pulling that trigger, and this office is sealed and purged" Ackerson sneered, sure of his negotiating position.

The Chief stood sternly. "I'm not here for murder" He stepped forward, placing the pistol to Ackersons forehead, a ring of blood starved skin formed around the barrel. "I'm here for justice, to get revenge for all the Spartans lost because of men like you"

Ackerson batted the pistol away from his face with the flick of his wrist, his devilish smirk turning angry. "Your Spartans were weak" He reached for a folder lying on his desk, slamming it angrily down on the desk between them. "Read the report" Ackerson opened the folder, reading aloud its contents. "Three drop-outs in the first two weeks deemed unable to deal with minor physiological stress, and as such unfit for service in the field. Seventeen removed due to incompatibility to the augmentation process, not to mention Test Subject 089 who went mentally insane during live fire training, injuring two attendants and fatally wounding three other test subjects"

Each one of these people were other children like John who had been abducted, torn away from their loving families and forced to serve in the military. Each had their lives destroyed in service to their government, and Ackerson simply listed them off like crates on a shipping order.

"I didn't come here to discuss this" The Chief growled. "I came here to get revenge for what you have done, what you tried to do to me and my brothers and sisters"

"What I've done?" Ackerson spat, taking the remark as a personal insult. "What have I done?" He took another desperate drag of his cigar. "What evils have I committed which your precious Dr. Hasley hasn't done ten fold?"

"Dr. Hasley saved us. If she hadn't trained us and kept us safe, I wouldn't be here to point this gun at your head right now"

Ackerson shook his head, eyes staring down into the polished oak of his desk as he stubbed out his cigar on a nearby ashtray. "She only saved you from your homes, so that you could be killed by the Covenant fighting on a losing battleground. Exchanging one painful death for another. At least this way you made them use up more bullets"

"At least this death will be in service to the people, the people who's Government you turned against me"

Ackerson raised his gaze again, a tinge of relief gripping his features. "Well, our fugitive remains loyal to the end. So what are you going to do now, kill me?"

The Chief stared at him, cold and unmoving. "After what you've put me through. It's certainly looking like a very attractive option"

"What would that accomplish? You'll still be a fugitive. If all you hoped to accomplish by coming here was killing me, you're more reckless than I thought"

"Read the report" John indicated the open document between them. "We Spartans are relied upon for our recklessness".

"So what did you come here for instead? The wars over, there's no one for the UNSC to fight anymore" He leaned forward on his desk. "What can a soldier do when there's no one left to fight?"

The Chief lowered his weapon for the first time since he'd stepped in Ackersons office, reaching into the ammo pouch on his belt, brandishing the data chip containing the evidence required to save the Spartan program, and ensure his return to the UNSC. "He can ensure that justice is served, and that the council realizes the truth" The Chief turned on his heels, stepping towards the door.

Ackerson called out after him. "You're still a fugitive remember. What's to stop me from ordering those marines outside to blow your head off?" The Chief froze.

"You won't". He looked over his shoulder back at Ackerson. "Because then you'll prove yourself wrong. Because I'll have one person worth fighting" And with that the Spartan left, silently closing the door behind him, leaving Ackerson to be consumed by the aroma of the smoke wafting from the dying embers of the cigar he had so thoroughly enjoyed.


End file.
